Dark Princess: Shadows (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance #89)

5. Morelle

5

MORELLE

T he male's voice continued to wash over Morelle, a steady, soothing presence in her semi-conscious state. His words ebbed and flowed like gentle waves, carrying fragments of thoughts and ideas to the shores of her awareness.

"You need to wake up, Morelle, and tell me that you want me to kiss you, or just take the initiative and kiss me. I'm easy. I know it's absurd, but since you probably can't hear me, I can allow myself to fly."

What did kissing him have to do with flying?

But that was the less important question. Why did he want her to kiss him?

Did he find her appealing?

Her mother's words from before echoed in her head. "You are beautiful and perfect, half goddess and half Kra-ell, and there are joys in life that can only be experienced through the flesh."

Morelle had never kissed nor had she been kissed, and perhaps her mother was right, and she should try those joys that had been out of her reach before. She hadn't been allowed to show her face, let alone engage intimately with anyone.

" Epochs and Timelines ," the male said. "I like Epochs . I should test it on InstaTock. Imagine being able to step into key moments of the past, to see and feel what it was like. I wonder what Ell-rom would think of that idea."

Ell-rom. The name sent a jolt through Morelle's hazy consciousness, triggering a cascade of memories. Suddenly, she was a child again, huddled with her brother in the dark corners of the temple, whispering secrets and planning mischief. They had been each other's whole world, bound by blood and shared isolation.

In the depths of her mind, Morelle saw flashes of their childhood games, elaborate fantasies woven from scraps of overheard conversations, and forbidden glimpses of the world beyond their sheltered existence. She remembered the warmth of Ell-rom's hand in hers, the silent understanding that passed between them with just a glance.

All they had was each other, Morelle realized with a pang of longing. And now, in this strange new world, Ell-rom was waiting for her.

The thought sent a ripple of anticipation through her.

As Morelle hovered in this liminal space between dreams and waking, she felt a subtle shift within herself. The fear and reluctance that had kept her submerged in the depths of unconsciousness began to recede, like mist dissipating in the morning sun.

In its place, a tentative curiosity began to bloom.

Who was this male who spoke so tirelessly? His voice had become a constant in her twilight world, a beacon drawing her closer to the surface of consciousness. How did he know her language? The question tugged at her mind again, demanding attention now that she was almost sure he wasn't a construct of her mind, a figment of her imagination.

Did the people of Earth speak Kra-ell now? The possibility sent her thoughts spinning. Could it be that the settlers had conquered the planet, imposing their language as the official tongue of the land? For a moment, Morelle entertained the notion that perhaps only her and Ell-rom's stasis chambers had remained sealed, suspending them for millennia while the world changed around them.

But no, that couldn't be right. The memory of her mother's words surfaced, clear and sharp amidst the fog of her thoughts. The entire ship had been delayed, a machination of Ani, queen of the gods, wife of the Eternal King, and mother of Ahn. The complexity of divine politics intruded on Morelle's contemplation, bringing with it a host of troubling memories.

The more her past resurfaced, the more agitated Morelle became. The tranquil void she had inhabited for so long was dissolving, replaced by a swirling eddy of emotions and half-formed thoughts. The calm she had clung to was slipping away, leaving her adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

If her dream world was to be as tumultuous as the waking one, what was the point of remaining asleep? The desire to see the face behind the voice grew stronger, pushing against the inertia that had held her for so long.

Morelle focused her will, struggling to open her eyes, to break through the barrier between sleep and wakefulness. But she discovered that awakening was not as simple as deciding to open one's eyes. Her efforts felt like pushing against an immovable weight, each attempt leaving her more drained than the last.

The strain of it pulled her back into the depths of sleep, the sensations of the waking world fading anew.

Yet something had changed. Instead of the peaceful oblivion she had known for so long, Morelle's dreams were now filled with vivid images. She saw Ell-rom smiling and reaching out to her. The sight filled her with a bittersweet longing, a mix of joy at seeing her brother and sadness at their separation.

How long had he been awake?

And then there was another face, one she didn't recognize but felt drawn to. It was a male who looked like a god, with warm brown hair and kind blue eyes that seemed to look right into her soul. Despite the fading edges of her self-awareness, Morelle knew this image wasn't real—it was a face her mind had conjured to match the voice that pulled her toward consciousness.

Still, these visions stirred something within her, something she hadn't felt in what seemed like an eternity—excitement. And beneath that, tentative and fragile, was a flicker of hope. Hope for a future she had long since abandoned, hope for a world that might hold more than the pain and isolation of her past.

As Morelle drifted in this space between worlds, caught between the pull of sleep and the growing urge to wake, a decision crystallized in her mind. The next time she heard that voice, she would answer. She would summon every ounce of strength she possessed, push through the fog of unconsciousness, and open her eyes and say something, anything, to bridge the gap between the world of dreams and the reality that awaited beyond.

But first, she needed to gather her strength.

Morelle let herself sink back into the comforting embrace of sleep, but this time, she held on to the images and emotions that had surfaced. She clung to the memory of Ell-rom's smile, to the warmth in the imagined god's eyes, and to the sound of the voice that had become her lifeline.